Due to the development of a communication system, various types of networks have been realized. An environment including multiple types of networks is referred to as a multi-network environment. In the multi-network environment, a user terminal may access one of networks such as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) network, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, and a World Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network.
Hereinafter, the WiMAX network will be exemplary described as one of the representative communication networks. The WiMAX network provides a communication service that enables a user to access the Internet at a high speed and to receive data or multimedia contents not only in an indoor place but also at the outside and even during travelling using various types of user terminals such as a personal computer, a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a handset, and a smart phone. Such a WiMAX service enables a user to use the Internet even in the outdoor place such as streets, parks, and vehicles in travelling unlike a high speed internet service that enables a user to use the Internet only at an indoor place with an internet cable is installed such as home, a school, and an office.
A WiMAX forum has been established by communication service providers, communication equipments manufacturers, and semiconductor manufacturers in order to secure comparability among equipment employing a WiMAX technology. The WiMAX forum uses an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 802.16 of a wide band wireless access technology as a fundamental technology. The WiMAX forum has been trying to advance a related technology from a stationary standard 802.16d to a mobile standard 802.16e.
The WiMAX network is a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) technology based on IEEE 802.16 standard. In general, the WiMAX network includes an access service network (ASN) and a connectivity service network (CSN). The access service network (ASN) includes a user terminal such as a mobile station (MS) which is a client, a base station (BS), and an access service network gateway (ASN-GW). The connectivity service network (CSN) includes logical entities such as a policy function (PF) entity, an authentication authorization and accounting (AAA) server, and an application function (AF) entity.
Hereinafter, a logical structure of a WiMAX network will be described.
The mobile station (MS) is referred to as a WiMAX terminal that accesses the ASN through a wireless link. An IEEE 802.16D/E standard WMAN access technology is mainly used at a wireless side of a WiMAX network.
The ASN guarantees establishing connection between a WiMAX terminal and a WiMAX base station (BS). The ASN manages wireless resources, finds a network, selects an optimal a network service provider (NSP) for a WiMAX subscriber, operates as a proxy server for controlling authentication authorization and accounting (AAA) of a WiMAX subscriber in a proxy mobile intern protocol (MIP), and accesses an application through a WiMAX terminal.
The CSN allocates an Internet protocol (IP) address for a session of a WiMAX subscriber, provides access for Internet, operates as an AAA proxy or an AAA server, performs a policy and controls access based on the subscribing data of a subscriber, supports establishing a tunnel between the ASN and the CSN, generates an invoice for a WiMAX subscriber, supports a policy of a WiMAX service through an operator, supports forming a loaming tunnel between CSNs, supports mobility between ASNs, provides a location based service, provides an end-to-end service, and supports various WiMAX services such as multimedia broadcast service and a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS).
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network system according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, the network system according to the related art includes a user terminal 110, a communication system 120, an Internet network 130, and an application service provider 140.
The user terminal 110 is any devices that can access a network including a communication system. For example, the user terminal 110 may be a notebook computer, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a hand set, or a personal multimedia player (PMP).
The communication system 120 includes a base station 121 or a radio access station (RAS) for controlling connection of a physical communication channel, an Access Service Network Gate Way (ASN-GW) 122 or Base Station Controller/Serving GPRS Supporting Node (BSC/SGSN) for controlling Medium Access Control (MAC) of an access network, Connectivity Service Network (CSN) 123 or Packet Data Service Node/Gateway GPRS Support Node (PDSN/GGSN) for controlling connection of a network layer. The communication system 120 may further include a location information server (LIS), a device capability server, a user profile server, a quality of service server (QoS), and a billing server.
The application service provider 140 has servers for providing a predetermined service to the user terminal 110. The application service provider 140 may include an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) server for providing an Internet based television programs to a user terminal 110 accessing the Internet network 130, a contents server for providing music/video contents in real time, a search engine server for providing a result of a search inquiry in response to a request of the user terminal 110, an advertisement server for providing advertisement, and a service server 139 for providing services.
Hereinafter, an operation of a network system according to the related art will be described. For example, the network system according to the related art performs following operations when a user of a user terminal 110 requests a map service from the application service provider 140.
The user of the user terminal 110 is located at an area A. The user terminal 110 requests a map service to an application service provider 140 through a communication system 120 and an internet network 130. The application service provider 140 provides a web page (or a web site) as the map service to the user terminal 110.
The application service provider 140 provides an initial map image of a predetermined area which is initially selected in a map service server regardless of a current location of a user terminal 110. When the user requests a map image of a certain area after sending the initial map image of the predetermined area, the application service provider 140 provides a map image of a corresponding area to a user.
If the application service provider 140 provides a map image of a current location of a user terminal when the user terminal 110 access a server of the application service provider 140 providing the map service, the application service provider can provide a personalized map service to a user. In this way, the user may be provided with a better service. In order to provide such a personalized service, the application service provider 140 needs personal information. Therefore, there has been a demand for a method of receiving personal information such as location information of the user terminal 110 when the application service provider 140 provides a personalized service to the user terminal 110.
When the application service provider 140 requests the personal information such as location information of the user terminal 110 to the communication system 120 after accessing the communication system 120, it is required to establish an interface and to perform mutual authentication among the application service provider 140, the user terminal 110, and the communication system 120.